The Script Fixer

Don't Play Telephone with Your Career

2011-11-07T19:45:00.000-08:00

Remember playing the game "Telephone" when you were a kid? That's the one where everyone sits in a circle and someone starts off whispering a message in the ear of the person next to them. The fun of it is seeing what the message morphs into by the time it gets all the way around the circle. Usually it doesn't even closely resemble the original message.

Hysterical, right?

Sure, unless you're talking about the series or movie pitch that you've spent weeks or months developing. But that's exactly what can happen if you don't follow up a meeting with a written version of your pitch.

Frankly, I have NEVER understood a writer coming in to pitch a project without having something down in writing. Hello! At the end of the day, we're hiring you to write a project, not verbally tell a story. Unless you've got a list of credits as long as your arm (and frankly, if you did you probably aren't reading this blog), you're going to have to prove you can write the characters and situations you've described at some point. Allegedly writing is what you love to do and what you do better than anything else so why not show it? But I digress...

So you meet with the producer, development executive or agent. You tell the best story ever, with characters that jump to life and a line or two of really smart dialog. Guess what happens next? The person you pitched it to has to pitch it to the next person up the food chain. Always. There's always a bigger fish who has to weigh in on whether or not to pursue your project. Seriously, I don't care who you've pitched to, they have to sell it up the ladder to the producer, the studio, the network, the talent. Sometimes all of the above. Are you willing to bet your project that they get every nuance of the story and character right as they orally pitch this from one desk to the next?

Even with the best of intentions, often times the spirit and tone of the piece can get mangled. Everyone has days when they're in a crappy mood or hate their job or got dumped by their girl or took a decongestant... whatever the cause, no one pitches every story perfectly every time. Hedge your bets and help the person who is trying to help you by giving them a written form of your pitch.

WHEN AND WHAT TO LEAVE BEHIND:

Generally speaking, it's best NOT to leave behind pages or a synopsis at the end of the meeting because you'll want to tailor your idea based on any questions or concerns that came up in the meeting. At the very least, pretend you are going to do that.

Before you leave, without being pushy or rude try to get the executive's e-mail or their assistant's so you can follow up the meeting with a BRIEF synopsis of what you pitched to them directly. And I do mean brief. Something that can easily be passed along in an e-mail is best, so try limiting it to a page or page and a half. Giving them a catchy, memorable logline to boot is icing on your cake.

ETIQUETTE TIP: Get an e-mail or an address of everyone you meet so you can follow up EVERY meeting with a polite "thank you for your time, it was wonderful meeting you" note. It makes a difference.

Someday, after you've pitched your idea but no one sees the genius of it all, it may be necessary to spec the script out. That means writing it on the speculation that someone will buy it once they see the idea on the page. A lot of movies and series have gotten set up that way lately, even from newbie writers so don't dismiss the idea as ridiculous. Again, you love to write, you want to sell this... maybe I'm a dolt, but I don't see the problem.

BOTTOM LINE:

Seriously, you want to be a writer so prove it by writing. Whoever tells you not to write a word until someone pays you for it isn't doing you any favors at all.

Get It Right the First Time (ish)

2011-10-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, I participated in a horse show (don't worry, this will be relevant in a minute). Like nearly every one who rides or participates in any sport of any kind, I left the ring feeling like, "that was ok, but I could have done so much better." It's a pretty common feeling -- I should have thrown the ball farther, or I could have played that poker hand just a little bit smarter, etc. That's all fine and good in certain aspects of your life, but writing isn't one of them.

Don't get me wrong; there is a time for rough drafts and "Hail Mary" takes on an idea or a script. The adage about writing being mostly re-writing is as about as true as any saying can be. Heck, I've already re-written this blog post 5 times and I'm not even close to being done. Try out a version, give it to your writing group to get some feedback, play with the characters to see what feels grounded and real.

However, the script/pages/pitch that you hand in to a producer, agent or whoever that final destination for it might be, better be the best darn version you have in you. Period. End of story. If you need to take a couple more days to feel like this is the best version you can give, do it. Because the odds that you'll get a second read out of someone are slim to none.

The only exception to that rule is if the person/studio/network you're giving the project to has a vested interest in reading it and giving you notes until they think it's right. Guess what? If they feel like the draft you gave them was anything less than the best you can give, they're going to be peeved. Even if you're doing work on an if/come basis for someone, what they are investing is their valuable time and they will be equally peeved if it feels like you're wasting it with half-baked plots or undeveloped characters.

What CAN happen is that you turn your draft in, a draft you've sweated blood over, and the recipient responds with notes. Maybe a ton of notes. They liked your general concept, but the specific plot doesn't work. As the writer, you can discuss it with them, listen to their concerns and engage in a dialog about how to fix it. What you CAN'T do is say, "I hear you, let me try to make that better".

I know, it sounds like a good thing to say, right? You think you're telling them, "I'll do a better version of that story or character now that I know what you want." But you're really saying (whether you know it or not) is, "I didn't give you my best work because I wasn't sure you'd like that idea. Now that I hear that you don't like it, I'll do a better job of writing that exact same thing, certain that when I give it 100% you'll see that I was right and love this as much as I do."

BZZZZ! Sorry, wrong answer. You had your shot before you turned in that first draft. If there were things you weren't certain about, call the people you're working with. Really listen to them, don't do that half-listen thing you do when you ask someone a question to be polite and really don't care what the answer is. Once you've turned it in and the person tells you an idea, plot or character isn't working, don't keep hammering at it with the idea that if you write it better they'll get it. Right or wrong, for better or worse, not only will they not get it, they may very well get pissed that the very thing they didn't like it back on the page in front of them again.

Be bold, be daring, go for the high fences as you write and rewrite, but be sure that whatever you give to the network or studio is the absolutely best you can deliver. If they don't like it, file it away in your "ideas to come back to" file and come up with something new that will work for them. Because promising to write the same idea but better next time is like promising sex will be better next time; it leaves your partner wondering what you were holding out for in the first place.

Multi-Camera Or Single Camera, That Is The Question

2011-10-10T16:21:00.000-07:00

Despite what Shakespeare (or whoever was writing his plays) said, the real question these days in TV sitcoms isn’t to be or not to be – the success this year of several shows prove that comedy is back in style. These days, when you’re pitching your half-hour comedy idea, the question that you will invariably be asked is, “it is a single or multi-cam?” Answering that it can be either one can show a certain amount of flexibility on your part, but consider carefully whether your idea really is better suited for a multi cam or single cam environment.

There are a few things you should keep in mind before deciding the format of your show. Type of humor, casting, and style are all key elements that should influence your choice. Knowing the difference between the two is vital to picking the right format. (While there are a few successful hybrids out there, most comedies are strictly one or the other.)

MULTI-CAMERA SHOWS

Multi-cams are shows that are shot in front of a live audience with multiple cameras shooting the scene all at once (hence the name). They usually air with a laugh track that is (hopefully) made from the actual live audience’s reaction, often sweetened and edited to make the show appear as funny as possible to the viewing audience at home. Typically they take place in limited locations (home, office, café, etc.) that are easily created on a sound stage.

The common industry belief is that multi cam shows tend to play to a broader audience. The pacing of the show tends to be a bit more set up & joke, set up & joke than a single cam. Staff writers aren’t sitting around the table writing sophisticated jokes to make each other laugh; they’re writing jokes for the tourist from Peoria who will eagerly file in to be part of a studio audience.

Because they are shot in front of a live audience, shooting time is limited to just one day, although the day can go for as long as it takes to get every single shot. Some talent will be attracted to that schedule (for instance, an actress who wants to spend time with her family) while others will either like or dislike the idea of performing in front of a live audience. It’s not a huge factor in deciding the format for your show, but being aware of it can help you avoid some pitfalls like not getting that perfect piece of casting that you wrote the entire show around.

In the past few years, multi cams were considered old-fashioned and out of style. They appeared predominantly on CBS, while “hipper” networks like Fox and NBC preferred the slicker look and feel of a single cam. This fall, however, has proven to be the come back of the multi cam. The ratings success of new shows like “Whitney” on NBC and “2 Broke Girls” on CBS may have networks rethinking their preferences.

SINGLE CAM

Single camera shows are shot more like dramas. There is no live audience so typically they air without laugh tracks. They can go to multiple locations and have a greater flexibility as far as lighting, camera use, etc.

The comedy of a single cam show is believed to be a bit more sophisticated. The humor can take its time to develop; there aren’t any pauses for the studio audience laughter to die down so the rhythm and pacing of the show is completely up to the writer and director.

The shooting schedule can span over a number of days, can take place outdoors or indoors, and although ideally it will stick to a set schedule can still be grueling on talent and crew alike. Again, when casting a single cam you want to be careful to choose actors who don’t require the energy of a live studio audience to play off of in order to be funny.

In the past, single cams like “Community,” “The Office” and “Parks and Rec” had been the domain of NBC, but hits like “Modern Family” and “The Middle” on ABC and this season’s first proclaimed hit, “New Girl” on Fox have shown that there is an audience for this kind of humor across the boards.

SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND BEFORE YOU SPEC OUT YOUR SCRIPT…

Before you sit down to your computer and bravely spec out your comedy script, keep in mind that the two different styles have completely different script formats. Multi-cams have the dialog in 1 ½ line spacing, and often the description is written in all caps. Their page length (because of the spacing) tends to be longer, around 50 pages or so. Single cams are written in regular feature format and tend to run around 35 pages. Programs like Final Draft have templates to choose from that will clarify and simplify your options.

Resources:

Thefutoncritic.com has a pretty comprehensive list of the comedies on the air and what type they are, as well as the new comedies that have been put in development.

Writeisright.com has excellent samples of various script formats.

Elance Blog: How to Use Visualization to Achieve Your Freelance Goals

2010-10-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting article that might be helpful for you writers out there struggling to make the leap to professional PAID writer...

Elance Blog: How to Use Visualization to Achieve Your Freelance Goals

Jimmy Wofford at Eventful Acres: Friday

2010-07-22T21:27:00.000-07:00

Jimmy Wofford Clinic: Day 1 by Dr. Nahmi Jones

I usually think of gymnastics as simple, straight forward exercises. A couple of innocent standards set up as a chute. The instructor sneaks the rails up. The next thing you know, you are jumping a challenging question without realizing what's been built up.

For the Jimmy Wofford clinic at Eventful Acres last weekend things were a little different. Rod Hisken's huge jumping arena was full of freshly painted white rails and standards, laid out everywhere like an albino logging disaster.

As I rode in I thought: "Uh oh Simon, you and I are going to have to do a lot of thinking today. There's nothing simple about what Jimmy has in store for us today."

I knew that at least Simon would get the benefit of the doubt from the 3xOlympian from his comments at our early morning lecture/ introduction. Jimmy's amazing enthusiasm for our sport and our equine partners was summed up in his response to a question about selecting a young event prospect. "I'm automatically going to like it if its a horse".

Jimmy's message for day one, in fact the message for the whole weekend was to teach us to be intelligent passengers.

The goal of his gymnastic exercises was to allow the horse to jump in a way that simulated his natural balanced jumping style unencumbered by the rider.

Through the wide and low oxer/ bounce line Simon had to reach out to stretch and compress his body horizontally. Though the double bounce/ hogsback line he got to reach up vertically to stretch through his bascule.

I was encouraged to ride with a longer rein. Did I lose Simon out the front door this way? You betcha. Jimmy's solution to keep a steady rhythm, to take my lower leg off to prevent driving.

I struggled to keep my position over fences by stabilizing my body with only my upper leg and without using my hands as a crutch. I was thrilled to find Simon responding to my efforts to find the happy balance between a lighter hand and a lighter leg, by jumping with more freedom through his neck and back in a happy relaxed rhythm.

Best Story About Life in the TV Jungle Ever!

2010-07-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd share an incredibly funny blog post from an amazing writer. WARNING: You will laugh until you cry!

Josh Friedman's Real-Life TV Procedural

Star power: How NOT to describe your characters

2010-07-01T13:42:00.000-07:00

A lot of scripts that I've been reading lately have included character descriptions that go something like this:

JOHN DOE, think a Bruce Willis type of guy, approaches a woman who looks a lot like Diane Lane. In fact, let's call her DIANE.

I get the temptation to do this, considering the old axiom of "show, don't tell" but this isn't exactly what that means. There are several reasons NOT to do this, but here's the three main ones I can think of:

#3 -- Hollywood is a very small town. If you're lucky and someone high enough up the food chain is reading your script, they may actually know Bruce Willis. They might be his neighbor. They might think he's an asshole and, unable to get that image out of their head, will pass on the script just because of it. (Sorry Bruce, I'm sure you're a sweetheart, this is just a hypothetical.) Or the actor you choose as your role model was just in a stinker of a movie and the idea that this will do as poorly is hard for the reader to forget. Remember, the execs, agents and producers reading your script are HUMANS, with all the same foibles and flaws as the rest of us. Sure, they may LOVE Bruce Willis (who doesn't) and immediately want to keep reading but are you really ready to roll the dice like that on your script's future? If so, you should be living in Vegas.

#2 -- The reality is you don't really want people to THINK while reading your script, you want them to FEEL. Putting a name that they may not even know as a description just pulls the reader out of the script when all you want from page one is to pull them in. Directives like, "think a young Danny Kaye" are distracting unless you are a fairly AWESOME writer and can really slide that in there without it sounding klunky. Again, if you're willing to bet that you are that effen' good while still pitching your first or second script, you might want to rethink your career. Vegas baby, that's the place for you.

And the #1 reason NOT to use an actor as a character description?

It's perceived by many to be lazy writing. If you don't have the imagination or the vocabulary to describe your character in a way that a reader can instantly picture them, then the odds are heavily in favor of the script lacking an interesting character arc or storyline. It's not impossible, but it starts the reader thinking in that direction and it won't take much for them to give up on your script altogether. Studios want to know what character you're selling, not a vague generalization. What does a Bruce Willis type mean anyway? Fast talking from "Moonlighting" days, bigger than life action hero from "Die Hard" or creepy killer from "Day of the Jackal"?

The one exception: If you're writing a comedy and you want to use a comparison, like "JOHN DOE is so smoking hot he makes Edward the vampire look like Edward Scissorhands" or "DIANE is so blonde she makes Tori Spelling look like a brain surgeon". As long as it's true to the rest of the tone of your script, that's the one time name dropping can work in your favor.

It's fine for YOU to have Bruce Willis from "Die Hard" in mind as you write the scenes and dialog, but pull out the thesaurus and come up with a concise, vivid description to show everyone else your character's true identity.

How to Write a TV Pilot

2010-05-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

Since the excitement of upfronts is over and the new series for the next season have (mostly) been picked, it seemed like a good time to talk about writing a TV pilot.

The one thing every aspiring writer needs to know about writing a TV pilot is that it will not get made. Not yet, anyway. Embrace that fact and make it your friend because the reason to write one if you’re still trying to get your first break in Hollywood is as a calling card. Proof to agents and producers that you get what it takes to write an episode, get characters, and create dialog. Since you don’t have to worry so much about being commercial (it’s anyone’s guess what that really means anyway), let your creative juices run wild. The sky really is the limit, but there are a few rules to be aware of.

Formatting: The format of a TV pilot is pretty much the same format you use for features. Oh, some networks like the description to be all in capital letters (my personal pet peeve) while others double space everything so it’s a little more flexible but it’s still your basic format.

Page length: One hour dramas this year ranged anywhere from the high 50’s to 67 pages long. Now, I wouldn’t recommend you write 67 pages unless it’s freakin’ awesome, but there is a little wiggle room beyond the standard one page = one minute of screen time. For half-hour comedies, most are around the low 30’s – 35 in regular formatting pretty much topping it out.

Acts: Every pilot needs to be broken out in to acts. For one hours, the number ranges from 4 to 6, depending on the type of show you want to write. Half-hours usually have some kind of opening teaser and then divide into 2 acts, although some go for 3. Some of the pilots for the comedies letter the scenes as well. My advice would be to skip that for now

How do you choose how many acts to use? Watch the kind of show you want your pilot to be, note down how it’s structured, and try to emulate that.

Give your series legs: Always remember that you’re writing a PILOT, the first of hopefully 100 or more episodes of a successful television SERIES. Make sure that it’s clear from the pilot that there are a limitless number of story possibilities in this series. For instance, if it’s set in an office full of whacky characters, it’s easy to see that there’s no end to the stories. If, on the other hand, it’s set in a political campaign, you might have some problems convincing a network executive that you can keep the same tension involved in a campaign up show after show for a number of years. Eventually the candidate has to win or lose, right? This is why cop, lawyer and medical shows are always going to be around. There’s almost no end to the stories that can come from those settings. The trick is to find a new and different spin on those workhorse ideas.

Have characters with… character: Make sure that each character in you pilot (and therefore the series) has a clear and distinct voice. Their dialog is the only way they have of setting themselves apart so make it sharp and unique. It really defines their roles in the series, whether it’s a drama or a comedy, so don’t make it too vague. Great characters that jump off the page are what will make executives want to buy the series. Think about how many police procedurals are on TV; now think about what sets them apart. “Psych” and “The Mentalist” are basically the same idea but with completely different characters.

Set the right tone: Make sure it’s clear from the very first scene what the tone of the show is going to be. Is it dark comedy? Is it warm and fuzzy? Is it cold and analytical or action filled? The tone of the pilot is just as vital as the characters in letting the network know that you have original ideas and know how to execute them.

There are no new series ideas that have never been done before. It’s about the life you bring to it through the setting, characters and tone that will make your pilot stand out as a sample of the kind of work you can do. Make it bold enough AND professional, and it could be the ticket to getting your first writing job.

Biggest Upfront In Broadcast Biz History?

2010-05-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

This is great news for the television business in general. Hopefully it means more work for writers out there as well!

Biggest Upfront In Broadcast Biz History?

NBC PIlot news - fingers crossed for "Rex"!

2010-05-12T15:59:00.000-07:00

PRIMETIME PILOT PANIC: NBC Picks Up 'Perfect Couples', Drops 'Beach Lane'

Pilot News from Fox

2010-05-12T15:58:00.000-07:00

PRIMETIME PILOT PANIC: Fox Picks Up 4 New Series & Renews 'Lie To Me', 'Target'; Passes On 'Breakout Kings' & 'Breaking In'

Old School Rules

2010-03-01T10:29:00.000-08:00

Recently, I was corrected for correcting a script's format because the writer didn't put (CONT'D) next to a character's name when their dialog was split by action or description instead of another character's dialog. For instance (and forgive the poor alignment but you get the drift),

TOM
It was the best of times.

An arrow flies through the window and thunks into the door near Tom's head.

TOM (CONT'D)

It was the worst of times.

Apparently, it's old school now to include the (CONT'D). Ok, fashions change, times change, whatever. Here's the thing: the reason to put (CONT'D) is so that the director, the producer, the actors and the readers know that it's the same person talking without interruption. It's an easy way to be sure that you haven't skipped a line of dialog somewhere by accident. It also confirms that the writer hasn't made a mistake and accidentally mislabeled a line of dialog meant for someone else. The down side? It forces the writer to type 8 more characters. Wait, that's not exactly right. Most script writing programs do it automatically. In fact, to turn it off is an extra step so the argument that it's more work falls short.

Virtually all of the good pilot scripts that I've read this year include the (CONT'D). As a part of the script format, it makes sense, it helps the production crew and it doesn't cost the writer anything. If there's a reason NOT to do it, please respond and let me know, I'm dying to hear it.

Bottom line, if it's good enough for Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, it's good enough for me.

Is Harry Potter Afraid of a few Vampires?

2009-07-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

Just saw the new Harry Potter movie last night and I enjoyed it. Who could complain? An evening sitting down with old friends, catching up on what's new at Hogwarts and of course, confronting new evils.

The problem is that now, in hindsight, Harry seems like a good Chinese dinner. I enjoyed it at the time but two and a half hours later I was left feeling hungry and empty.

I intentionally didn't re-read the book before seeing the movie. If Steve Kloves can't tell a good story with the script alone then I'm kind of screwed anyway, right?

Only this time it felt like Mr. Kloves got the order to make this "Twilight" like, up to and including hormonal adolescent growing pains. Yes, I do remember that's what ONE of the stories of the book was but in the movie it was the main driving force. There was "snogging" everywhere, even in the background of what should have been a tense, suspenseful, danger-filled moment.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against a good snog on a frequent basis but the story should have and could have been about so much more. While this was nowhere nearly as lame as "Twilight," I can help but wonder if the producer of this aging behemoth of a series is feeling the hot - or in this case very cold - breath of the new rock star in town.

Thoughts??

Special Speaker Event: "Respecting the Antagonist"

2009-05-14T07:23:00.000-07:00

The latest entry in the Scriptwriters Network's Speaker Series sounds like an interesting one to attend for any LA based writers. Given by writer/producer/mentor Bill Boyle, it's called "Respecting the Antagonist". Here's the info:

"The essence of true character conflict is not derived from the protagonist being right and the antagonist being wrong, but from both characters being right – carried to an inevitable conclusion. Villains and unsympathetic characters don't consider themselves evil.

Everyone including your antagonist is doing the very best he can given his fears, needs, knowledge, skills, pain, and personal history.

The hero offers us the journey and the objective of the story, but it is the antagonist that creates the drama.

A great antagonist makes us squirm not because of the opposition he represents, but because there is a truth behind his position that makes us uncomfortable. It is the antagonist that forces both the hero, as well as us, to confront our shadow side.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Bill Boyle is a veteran screenwriter who has been involved in the film industry in both Canada and the U.S. for over 25 years as a writer, director, agent, producer, story editor, and mentor.

Mr. Boyle devotes a significant amount of his time mentoring younger screenwriters through his Screenwriting Workshops and Script Coaching. He is presently teaching screenwriting at UCLA Extensions."

The event takes place on Saturday, May 16th from 1 - 3pm at CBS Studio Center in Studio City.

For more information and to RSVP (which you must do to attend) contact the Scriptwriters Network. You can also call them at (888) 796-9673 (1-888-SWN–WORD)

Hey, besides getting great info you might also win Movie Magic Screenwriter Software
or a subscription to Creative Screnwriting Magazine so it's a win-win all around!

Book recommendation to get your writing in gear

2009-04-29T22:29:00.001-07:00

Everyone who writes needs a kick in the pants once in a while to remind them that what they truly loved about writing in the first place. Recently, a friend loaned me a book that I highly recommend as that motivation that we all need once in a while. Oddly enough, it’s written by horror demi-god Stephen King. “On Writing: A Memoir” offers insights from the master of suspense that pertain to any kind of writing. Whether you’re writing a script or a book, comedy or horror, you need to read this guide to writing from one of the most successful names in the book and movie world.

If you care about your writing as a craft and not just a way to pleasure yourself at the keyboard this is a must read.

Free Classic Film Scripts from the Writers Store

2009-04-07T20:52:00.000-07:00

This from Jeffrey Gund of the Infolist.com. Good news for those of you in the LA area!

FREE SCREENPLAYS FROM TOP HOLLYWOOD FILMS!
COURTESY OF THE WRITERS STORE

The Writers Store is giving away FREE screenplays from top Hollywood films!

First come, first served. Only ONE script per person!

The store is open from 10am-6pm, and it's first come, first served with a limit of ONE script per person.

For most scripts, we have only one or two copies, so be sure to get there early so you can get the one you want!

If you choose to purchase anything else while you're there, mention INFOLIST.com and get 10% OFF anything in the store! However, you don't have to buy anything to get the free screenplay!

Thursday, April 9th, 2009
10am - 6pm
The Writers Store
2040 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(800) 272-8927

Here are the script titles to choose from:

8 MM
15 minutes
48 Hours
1942 Conquest of Paradise
2001: a Space Odessy
Above the Law
The Abyss
Ace Ventura
The Adams Family
Agnes of God
Alien 3
Alien Resurrection
Almost Famous
Anchormen
The Anniversary Party
Antz
The Apartment
Apollo 13
Apt Pupil
Army of Darkness
As Good As It Gets
Bad Santa
Barry Lyndon
Barton Fink
Batman 2
Batman Forever
Beauty and the Beast
Big
Big Lebowski
Braveheart
Bruce Almighty
Crash
Departed, The
Ed Wood
The Elephant Man
Elizabeth 1
Excaliber
First Blood 2
Five Easy Pieces
Fletch
Frankenstein
The French Connection
Frequency
Freddy's Dead: Final Nightmare
Four Rooms
Freddy vs Jason
The Frequency
Friday the 13th 3
Gattaca
Get Shorty
The Ghost and the Darkness
Go
Gods and Monsters
Godzilla
Gone in 60 Seconds
The Green Mile
The Grifters
Grosse Point Blank
Groundhog Day
Hackers
Halloween H2O
Hand the Rocks the Cradle
Hard Day's Night
Hard To Kill
Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone
Heathers
Heavy Metal
Hellraiser
History of Violence, A
Hollow Man
Honeymoon in Vegas
The Horse whisperer
Hotel Rwanda
House on Haunted Hill
Independence Day
The Iron Giant
Incredibles, The
Interview With the Vampire
Invaders From Mars
Jason X
The King Of Comedy
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Labybrinth
Law and Order
Leaving Las Vegas
Legally Blonde
Legends of the Fall
Lethal Weapon
Little Monsters
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Made
Mad Max 2
Man on the Moon
Marathon Men
Married to Bob
Metropolis
The Messenger
Midnight Express
Midnight Run
Mississippi Burning
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mimic
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
The Mummy
My Own Private Idaho
Nashville
A Night at the Roxbury
Nightmare on Elm Street
Notting Hill
Ocean's 11
Office Space
Pirates of the Carribean
Pretty Woman
Ratatouille
Sphere
Star Trek The Motion Picture
Star Trek 3, 4, 5 & 6
Star Trek: Generations
Star Trek: Nemesis
Star Trek: First Contact
Starship Troopers
Strange Days
Suburbia
Superman 2
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Terminator 2
Terms of Endearment
Texas Chainsaw 2
Titanic
Topsy Turvy
Tron
The Truman Show
True Lies
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
Unforgiven
Unbreakable
Usual Suspects, The
Verdict, The
Vertigo
Wag the Dog
War Games
Wedding Crashers, The
What Lies Beneath
White Christmas
Wild Things
Willow
The Witches of Eastwick
The Wizard Of Oz
The Women
X-Men
You've Got Mail

The Writers Store® is the world's foremost resource for software, seminars and workshops, books and reference materials dedicated to writers and filmmakers.

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What does your title say??

2009-03-27T20:53:00.000-07:00

You’ve worked for (fill in time span here), pouring your blood, sweat and tears into your script but it’s finally done. The only thing left to do is the title page. You think about it for a few minutes and think, “aw, screw it, what’s in a title anyway?” Sound familiar? If this is how you view your script’s title, think again. In some cases, the right title can mean the difference between getting made and sitting on the slush pile for all eternity.

Don’t believe me? The other night I saw Greg Kinnear on “The Graham Norton Show”. (It’s on BBC and if you’ve never seen it you are missing one of the funniest hours on TV.) He was talking about his movie X. It originally came across his desk with the dubious title “Windshield Wiper Man” and sat there for three months before he even took a look at it. It sounded to him like another goofy superhero movie and he had a hard time getting over the mental image of a man in a cape, etc. Fortunately, for whatever reason he got past it, made the movie and the rest is history but what a close call.

Similarly, I was reading a script for a client and the title smacked of a whacky comedy. I sat back waiting for the laughs to come in only to find out it was a horror movie. It’s a good script but the human brain being what it is, my expectations were let down and in general I felt disappointed with the read. I would have read it regardless but if someone was looking to make a horror movie, this script would not have leapt off the pile with a big “read me” sign in bold, dripping, blood red letters.

So take some time, do a few “test groups” with your friends, co-workers and fellow writers to see if your title evokes the genre, tone and excitement you’re looking for.

Photo from City of Centralia Illionois

Are screenwriting contests worth the entry fees?

2009-03-20T18:40:00.001-07:00

Google “screenwriting contest” and you get a mind-boggling 511,000 results. The entry fees as well as the prizes they taunt you with can be equally staggering. So how do you decide what contest, if any, to enter?

According to Cynthia Cree, founder and President of the Hollywood Nexus and the Hollywood Omnibook, “Writers should participate in screenwriting contests as a means of motivation to write (e.g. to complete a submit-able draft by a set date), to obtain feedback, and for the experience of competing against other screenwriters.” But, she warns, don’t enter if you’re going to equate not winning failure, or take it to mean that your script is not good. The point of any contest, according to Cree, is to help you be better today than yesterday.

Pasha Mckenley with Creative Screenwriting agrees that contests go beyond winning or losing. “Contests are a great way to get exposure. We have access to industry professionals who will read your script because it was selected over thousands of others. I get calls and emails from executives who are looking for the next hit. Sometimes I even give executives scripts that didn't make it to the final rounds but were strong contenders where the writer showed promise.”

She also feels that entering contests helps you prepare your script for industry standards such as putting it in the correct format and correcting typos. “Learn the BASIC techniques of screenwriting before sitting down to write one. It’s shocking how many scripts are entered into contests that aren’t even properly formatted.” Finally, she advises writer to carefully read the rules and regulations of the contest.

Writer Deanne Devine has only positive things to say about her contest experiences. She entered BlueCat because it offers 1 page feedback for every entry. If you enter early, you get your feedback in a month and can revise the script and reenter it by the regular deadline (at a reduced fee) to improve your chances of winning (and get a second critique).

“My screenplay came back with nice comments, but a TON of ‘needs improvements.’ It was really helpful for the price.” She took the feedback to heart and did a total rewrite on her script. This year, the feedback was much more encouraging and showed only a few areas that need tweaking.

Benjamin Ray, quarterfinalist in the 2008 PAGE International Screenwriting awards, advises all writers to apply to as many contests as possible, especially those that give you feedback. “Overall its fun and creates opportunities”. His favorite contests have been the Austin Film Festival, PAGE, and Redinkswork.com. In general, he finds that most contest providers are on your side and are happy to offer you help if you ask.

Beyond simply winning or losing, contest have taught Ray to work with deadlines. “Use this to your advantage by setting up a series of screenwriting deadlines to build up a solid resume.”

His tip for finding a good contest? “Look for ones that give a lot of details on their webpage.”

Having judged a number of contests over the years, I would advise any writer to enter contests that offer professional feedback first. No matter how you place, you’ve come out a winner if you’ve learned something from the experience.

The other main benefit of contests is the exposure to industry professionals. If a contest is judged by a panel of executives and agents, you’ve basically been given the opportunity to submit your writing to people who wouldn’t normally accept an unsolicited script. In the long run, that can prove far more important than winning the actual contest.

(photo by Martin Kingsley)

Note about the message forum

2009-02-04T14:04:00.000-08:00

Just got a note from someone who tried to use the message forum and was bombarded by pop-ups (see comment below). My apologies to anyone who has this problem. I tried it myself but Firefox blocks all pop ups so it wasn't a problem for me. So beware, if you want to leave a note you may get some ads depending on your computer settings.

The Ongoing Scriptwriting Program Debate

2009-02-03T07:59:00.000-08:00

An Anonymous Reader poses the question:

Okay,

In the heart of entertainment ,HOLLYWOOD, what percentage is using final draft and what percentage is using Movie Magic?

My gut feeling is that more are using Final Draft BUT that could be a personal bias against MM. Way back in the old days of stone tablets (ok, maybe not that long ago but close) I had a crummy experience with the original company that made (still makes??) Movie Magic. I wasn't even using the screenwriting program so admittedly, my bias is completely illogical and unfair but there you go.

I have installed a new message forum so please weigh in on the continuing scriptwriting program debates!

More on Movie Magic

2009-01-15T09:03:00.000-08:00

Deanne, a writer in Cincy, wrote to say "I use Movie Magic, and you can save scripts as PDF by going to "PRINT" and then choosing "Print to PDF".

Please take note all you writers out there who use Movie Magic for when you send your script out into the world to be read. It's much easier to read in PDF and will help your chances of getting a fair reading immensely.

Thanks for the info, Deanne!

Is Your New Year's Resolution to Sell Your Script???

2009-01-05T18:22:00.000-08:00

New Years is a great time to renew your resolve to sell your script. Here’s a couple of tips to keep you from getting taken to the cleaners on the way to the red carpet:

Requiring money up front – SCAM
If ANYONE tells you they are interested in your script but they need you to pay ANY kind of fee up front to represent you or your project, run to the nearest exit. The most common one I’ve heard of is when an agent or manager requires you get your script covered by a “certified reader” for a fee. I’ve been doing this a long time and I’ve never heard of such a thing as a “certified reader”.

It’s not unusual or out of line for an agent or manager to ask you to give a synopsis of your script before they’ll consider your material. They may even give you a few names as suggestions of readers to use. What a legitimate company WON’T do is refuse to consider a synopsis SOLELY based on the fact that it doesn’t come from a “certified reader”. If they do run, don’t walk, to the nearest exit.

Asking for a free option – NOT A SCAM
It’s perfectly legitimate for a producer to ask for a free option on your script. Just be sure to give them a LIMITED free option – 6 months is a typical amount of time but you may want to make it shorter. For instance, if it’s about the Olympics or a “true” predicted natural disaster, then time might be more of a factor. If they want to keep pitching the script after the option runs out, make them pay some kind of fee.

The producer may also want you to address notes for free. That gets into sticky territory. They are honestly trying to get the script in the best possible shape to sell; you have to decide if their notes really make it better. If so, you’ve just gotten free script notes, be happy. If their notes don’t make any sense, it’s time to consider whether they’re the right people to be involved in your script in the first place. Even if they sell it, will they keep your vision of the story or turn your brilliant take on “Santa Clause V” into a horror movie? Are you willing to go there for mere money? Only you can decide....

Follow Up on Screenwriting Program Question

2008-12-29T17:41:00.001-08:00

This in from Cynthia, a reader:

"I've always preferred Movie Magic Screenwriter myself, but I used to run an annual screenwriting contest and by far the most entries were in Final Draft format. We even got more in Word format than Movie Magic.

Kind of gave me the impression that Final Draft has become industry standard.

Anyone else have an opinion on that?"

I have to say that after judging several contests, I'd have to agree with Cynthia. Most of what I read is saved as a PDF, which is the easiest way for anyone else to read your material and yet keep it safe. If it's submitted in the scriptwriting program, most of them are in Final Draft. Maybe 5 out of every 100 are in Movie Magic Screenwriter.

The question is, does that mean that Final Draft won't let you save/print your script as a PDF? Will Movie Magic?

As a reader, my advice is that whichever program you use, send your script out as a PDF. It protects your work as much as possible and is universally the easiest way to read them. FYI, Movie Magic is a pain in the neck to read on screen. It's hard to zoom, it's harder to navigate through the pages, it's just plain impossible to get it to look good on screen. Or perhaps it just doesn't like my Mac. Since my advice is to ALWAYS make reading your script as easy as possible even if it's just for the person you're paying to proofread it, I would never recommend sending it out in the Movie Magic format. Investigate it further, surely there must be a way of sendig out a Movie Magic script as a PDF??

What Screenplay Program Do You Prefer??

2008-11-17T14:07:00.000-08:00

I was at a Catholics in Entertainment meeting the other night where a writer asked the guest speaker, Barbara Gangi from Paulist Prods., the all important question, "does formatting make a difference?" It seemed he'd written a script and had been told it needed to be formatted correctly, with scene breaks, day parts, etc. He couldn't understand how that could make a difference, couldn't they see past that? I squelched the urge to groan and was grateful when Barbara confirmed what I've been saying all along - format matters. She put it much more nicely than I would have, suggesting that if given a script that looks neat and professional vs. one that's all in caps, wrong margins, etc., she's going to read the more professional looking one first. From my POV, I've read some crappy scripts that looked perfect but I've never read a great script that looked crappy.

The point was brought up that script writing programs are easy to use and not that expensive. It got me thinking - what do writers at large prefer? So take a moment to vote in my poll (see the sidebar). If you want to go further and share some reasons why you like (or dislike) certain programs, go to my new chat room and elaborate a bit.

Can't wait to see the results!!

Seriously? Supers are NOT that super

2008-10-25T12:30:00.000-07:00

Can someone please explain to me why so many writers today feel compelled to start their scripts with supers to set up their story? And why they feel it necessary or even a good idea to specifiy that it's written over black. As if that makes this lame cop out dramatic somehow. Yes, it worked in Star Wars, for example, as a way to give you all the back story. But they did it in a cool way with the scrolling thing and then jumped right into the action.

Maybe I'll give you that in some stories you need to let the audience know right away the politics, relationships or social situation and a super is the most expedient way to do it. However, far too often I'm reading supers that are ridiculously unnecessary - quotes from poets, for instance. Or setting the date. People come to movies to watch the action unfold, not read it! If your script is set in the future and the only way people are going to know that is from the date supered on screen before hand, you are in big trouble already.

WRITING CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS

2008-10-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

Pet Peeve #110: POOR CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS! I can’t tell you how many scripts have come across my desk that have character descriptions that read something like this:

MATT, a ruggedly handsome park ranger who loves his family and is tolerant of everyone but won’t back down from a fight, takes charge of situation just by walking in the room.

Gad zukes, people, it’s called “creative writing”, not just spewing a bunch of adjectives behind the character’s name. This is where the old adage, “show, don’t tell” comes into play. SHOW that Matt loves his family by having a picture of his family prominently displayed on his desk or – how’s this for crazy? – show him hug his kids and his wife when he gets home. Even having him talk to his family on the phone conveys it better then merely writing it down. There are a dozen ways you can show this so that a viewing audience gets it but unless you plan on handing out copies of your script at every screening no on is going to get it from that description.

SHOW Matt walking into a room and everyone automatically snapping to attention if that’s what the situation calls for. How he reacts to that – humbly, reluctantly, or maybe he accepts it as a given way of how things should be – is just as important as the fact that people turn to him for leadership.

Being tolerant of everyone could come through in giving him a sidekick who is African American or Muslim or a woman, whatever seems to go against the grain in the situation. Or he refuses to jump to conclusions about a bear – it doesn’t matter but SHOW it.

Any idea about your character that the audience needs to know – they’re smart, they’re afraid of snakes, they’re color blind – every detail needs to be demonstrated through action, not description. It’s called a viewing audience for a reason, people!

You don’t really need to waste the space describing your main character as “ruggedly handsome”. It’s a movie, it’s kind of a given that the hero is going to be hot. The only exception would be if his (or her) looks go against type. For instance, a scholarly looking park ranger or a wimpy guy would be unexpected and you can get away with just describing that. The director, producer and ten other people will take care of his looks. The only thing as a writer you should worry about is how the other characters react to this anti-type character. For instance, if he’s wimpy the other rangers might scoff at him, that sort of thing.

Showing the character through action rather than adjectives may take a few more lines but it’s page space well spent.

HOW TO TELL A GOOD STORY FROM A GOOD MOVIE

2008-10-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

One of the first things I learned as a development executive is that there’s a BIG difference between a good story and a story that makes a good movie. Back then, where true-life movies were king, we would watch hours of “news” shows like Hard Copy (hence the “” on news) to glean our next big movie. (Hey, it wasn’t just us, everyone did it.) 99% of them were interesting stories packed with emotions but only 1% had the elements necessary to make a good movie.

So what, you may ask, are the elements that make a movie and how are they different from a good news story or magazine article? Here are five simple questions to ask yourself to determine if your story idea has enough to be a movie.

Does the story have and identifiable main character & nemesis? The audience needs to be able to figure out who the main character is relatively quickly. Whose story is this? Who am I supposed to care about? The main character doesn’t necessarily have to make an immediate appearance – think of the classic example of “Casablanca” where everybody talks about Rick in his absence. By the time he actually appears you’re dying to know who the heck this guy is. Yes, a script can be an ensemble piece with several characters equally sharing the lead role but that’s pretty tough to pull off and I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re just starting out.

It’s good to keep in mind that the audience doesn’t necessarily have to like the main character. That’s why I keep calling it a main character and not a hero. Sometimes anti-heroes make the best main characters. More important than liking the main character is the idea that the audience can relate to them.

Almost as important is identifying who the nemesis is. Notice I didn’t say villain. The nemesis is who or what is standing between your main character and their ultimate goal. It could be a tornado, it could be simply a ticking clock, or it could be a person who isn’t necessarily evil. Usually this role is best played by a standard villain but bringing a fresh new take to a story never kept a movie from getting made. Keep in mind that it’s often more fun to make the audience think they know who the villain is only to find they were wrong at some point in the movie.

A good rule of thumb to remember is that the “hero” can only be as heroic as the “villain” is bad. Your fishermen can’t be going up against a rainstorm, it has to be the STORM OF THE CENTURY. Frodo didn’t have to drive over to the 7-11 to destroy the ring, he had to go through Mordor, etc. etc. You get the idea.

Does the main character have a relatable goal? The audience needs to be able to understand what your main character wants. What’s motivating him (or her)? Love? Greed? Fear? Goals are best if they are both specific and have universal appeal. For instance, wanting to save your home and 10 acres of corn from a flood is specific yet universal enough that an accountant in France understands how your character feels. This is especially true if the main character desires something controversial. If you can get an audience who disagrees with your main character’s desire but roots for them anyway, you don’t need to be a fortune teller to see that you’re going to have a long and fruitful career as a writer.

Is there something in the way of the main character achieving the goal? It’s equally important to understand what’s in the main characters way of achieving this goal. Just like with characters, his journey is only as interesting as the obstacles in his way. The obstacles in your character’s way have to escalate and continue to build. Most pitches – and movies – fail because there’s simply not enough happening in the middle of the movie. Plus, you have to make sure you’re not simply marking time; if you have variations of the same beat repeated over and over again it makes for a flat, boring movie.

Does the main character DO something to achieve their goal? This is where most interesting stories fail to make great movies. By action, I don’t mean a car chase or shootout. The main character just needs to take steps to achieve their goal. Speeches, protests or even bringing flowers to woo someone are all active. The main character may be reluctant to take action or he may be forced into it. He (or she) may take the wrong action at first or they may realize in the course of the story that they don’t really want what/who they thought they did.

Whatever the action, it has to be enough to fill 2 hours. That requires the character taking steps, having an obstacle arise; he or she conquers it and then moves forward only to have another, larger obstacle arise. The obstacles/dangers have to continue to escalate, not just be repeated over and over in different circumstances. Many movies fail because they have a great beginning and a great ending but no middle to support it.

You’ll notice “ do they all live happily ever after” isn’t one of the questions. Personally, I like a nice happy ending or at least one that’s bittersweet. I hate investing two hours of my very busy life only to get attached to a character and then feel crappy when they lose. However, that’s just my personal taste; many great movies have unhappy endings but they work because the writers have very carefully constructed a story in which a tragic ending was the most logical way to bring closure to the movie. Butch and Sundance would have sucked as a movie if the heroes had lived, for instance. (Sorry, should have put a spoiler alert in there for the three of you out there who’ve never seen this classic.)

That, in a nutshell, is it. If you can answer “yes” to ALL of these questions then you’re on your way to turning your story into a good movie.

THREE KEYS TO BEING AN ACTIVE WRITER

2008-08-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

There’s nothing worse than that passive, whiny person we all know (or can become from time to time). You know who I mean, the “poor me” victim who claims things just keep happening to them, boo hoo. Whether you’re aware of that or not, that whiny voice can slip into your writing as well. Here’s three ways to be sure you don’t let being passive get the best of you.

Beware of Gerunds: According to the dictionary, a gerund is, “a noun formed from a verb, describing an action, state or process. In English, it is formed from the verb’s -ing form.” In other words, running, driving, shooting, kissing are all gerunds. They are also very boring and take action out of your character’s hands. By definition they describe the action rather than show it and everyone knows that the first (and most misused) rule of screenwriting is show, don’t tell. For instance, “John runs down the hall” is more active and therefore more engaging than “John is running down the hall”. The first keeps you involved IN the story while the second example reminds you that you are being told a story. It seems like such a tiny thing but it keeps the reader firmly locked out of the world of your script and that’s the last thing you want. Go through your script and upgrade all those errant gerunds to their more active, powerful form.

Keep Your Character Active: What’s the first thing you ask your friends on Monday -- “What did you do this weekend?” It’s human nature to be interested in what people do, whether it’s over spring break, summer vacation or when confronted with some problem. If someone says “A rabid dog followed me home” the most common response would be “Oh my God, what did you do?” So give your characters some action to perform in the course of your story. They don’t have to be superheroes; some of the most engaging stories involve ordinary characters who are pushed into action by some string of events out of their control. The point is, somewhere in the story they realize what they must do and eventually do it. Or fail but try. Even if you’re writing a drama and the extent of the action is that they write a letter, the story needs to pivot on your main character DOING something. Think of your script as an overall whole picture and see if you can identify what the action is that your main character needs to take that changes the course of his or her life or story. If there isn’t one, if things just keep happening to them and they float along helplessly like flotsam in the stream of life then you should re-think your story.

Be Your Own Biggest Fan: I think the hardest thing for most writers is to get out there and network with people. Unfortunately, the bottom line is that no one cares as much as you do whether your script gets made into a movie or not. No agent, no producer, no actor, not even your best friend has as much invested in your script as you do both in terms of time and money. So why let fate decide if it gets made or not? Get out there and talk to people. I don’t mean join other groups of angry bitter writers and sit around bitching once a month about how hard it is to get you movie made. Join groups of people that can help you get your movie made. For instance, you could take a class or seminar from an instructor who works in the business and approach them for help. Go to networking breakfast groups – there are a number of them out there. You could also research who is on the board of directors for certain charities. If a producer who would be perfect for your movie is on the “Save the Malibu Ducks” committee then get out there and help save some ducks. The producer or someone who can get to them will come by sooner or later. This is the part where you have to sell your soul a little bit so I’d suggest keeping it to causes or groups that you really believe in. That way even if you never sell your script at least you’ll gain some good karma points, right?

More Kudos Given to Benjamin Ray for "Marcus and Faith"

2008-08-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Benjamin Ray, who made the Quarter Finals of the 2008 PAGE International
Screenwriting Awards!

This prestigious contest received 3,865 scripts from all over the world so Benjamin was clearly up against some stiff competition. Fingers crossed for "Marcus and Faith" to make it to the top!

THE LOGLINE

2008-07-23T21:47:00.000-07:00

A client and I were having a discussion back and forth about the best logline for his script and it made me realize how very hard it is to really write a great logline. Here are some suggestions to get you thinking in the right direction.

1) It’s called a logline for a reason – it needs to be one line. It’s not referred to as a log paragraph or log couple of sentences. Yes, if you are an Oscar winning writer you can take as much room and time as you like describing your latest epic but if you’re just a regular writer trying to sell a script then knuckle down and figure out how to describe you script in one sentence. If you absolutely can’t, then maybe it’s time to re-think whether your script is such a good idea anyway.

2) Yes, a logline’s main purpose in life is to sell your script. If you are content just sitting alone in your writer’s garret slaving away at a work that no one will ever see then fine. Ignore the rest of these tips and just keep pleasuring yourself at your computer. But if you mean to do this for a living, you’re going to have to face the fact that some small part of writing involves selling. Get over it.

3) Ideally, you will e-mail, fax, call or snail mail the agent/executive/or whoever your logline and synopsis. They, in turn, will tell their friends and co-workers over coffee, water, drinks or lunch the oh-so-memorable script they were just pitched. Make it easy for both of you and give them a logline that any human CAN remember. They may have only glanced at it once so make it something that’s easy to spit back out.

4) Be ready to BRIEFLY pitch your script in a pinch. For instance, let’s say you’re skiing in Aspen and realize the person on the chairlift next to you is Robert Redford. You’re writers, use you imagination. You need to have a simple enough pitch that you can spit it out before the chairlift reaches the top. Or, in more mundane terms, it’s known as the elevator pitch – you get the idea. That’s why it’s best to be one line – something you can remember at the moment when you really want to do is vomit.

5) In a perfect world, you would have figured out your script’s logline BEFORE you finished it. You should write out the one sentence that best describes what your script is about and keep it on a post-it on your computer, your mirror or wherever else you look at every day before, during and after you write. Keeping a constant reminder of what your script is about will help you keep it on track.

Give Your Scenes A Purpose

2008-07-13T23:37:00.000-07:00

Time and time again I find that writers have taken great pains to get the characters, dialog and description right but forgot to give the scene a purpose. I’m not talking about a cheesy “a ha!” moment at the end of every scene but a believable, organic reason for the scene being in the script. The purpose can be subtle or overt. It can be obvious at the time or be revealed later but there has to be a justification for it to be in the script. Showing off the scenery, educating your audience or plain old ego aren’t good enough reasons for a scene to be in the script.

Here’s a good test; after you’ve finished writing your script, go back through and read each individual scene as a single, stand alone piece. Ask yourself what has this particular scene accomplished. Has it forwarded the story? This is typically the best reason for a scene to be in the movie and yet often the most misunderstood. Marking time by repeating information about the story or a character that we already know (or sometimes don’t need to know) doesn’t count.

Has the scene revealed more about a particular character that is vital to the storyline? The biggest culprit here is when writers give the audience the back-story of a character at the beginning of the movie that really isn’t all that necessary to know. If you’re talking “Batman Begins” then sure, showing young Bruce Wayne has purpose. After all, the whole point of the movie is showing how Batman became Batman. But in a movie like “The Saint,” one of the least satisfying aspects of that fairly mediocre movie was the long drawn out beginning to help us understand what made Simon Templar into the man he became. Who cares? An audience isn’t stupid; they’ll be able to piece together what made your villain evil or your hero (or anti-hero) the person he is. If there’s a moment you really feel strongly about, consider putting it in the present action of the main story. Find a way to weave it into the dialog or action of the without simply spewing out details in a clunky “info-dump”. That’s a valid purpose for a scene that doesn’t slow the movie down.

Go through this process with every scene. Does each individual scene forward either the story or the character? If the answer is no or even a wobbly maybe, then either go back and add purpose to it or, painful as it may be, cut the scene altogether. Working with writers I’ve found it’s often hard to cut the fair-haired darlings, the scenes that they just like as an artist but amputation might be necessary for the health of the whole body. You can try to add purpose but usually it ends up feeling forced, like cramming a round peg in a square hole.

It doesn’t matter if you’re writing a drama, an action piece, a mystery/thriller or animated short; making sure that each scene has a purpose will successfully pull an audience into your script. That’s a key difference between a page-turner that you can’t put down and a ho hum script that you’re done with after just 10 pages.

CHARACTER ARC VS. ARCH

2008-06-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

I finally got a chance to see “Iron Man” the other day and it got me thinking about character arc. I know, weird coming from a big action movie, huh? But the writers and actor obviously went to great lengths to clearly spell out the characters arc. And you know what? They did a pretty damn good job of it if you ask me.

The movie starts with Tony Stark, a guy with absolutely no moral compass, a real jerk and a womanizer. But did you notice what else they did? You can’t help but like the guy, as much of an a-hole as he may be. Yes Tony’s an irresponsible alcoholic who glibly sells the Pentagon a bar for every lethal missile they order. But he’s funny, he’s personable, and he talks to the little guy when most guys in his position wouldn’t give them a second glance. Most importantly, you see that he’s got a good woman who cares about him so he can’t be all bad, right? For me, the set up all went on a bit too long but still it effectively gave you a flawed character who you still wanted to spend two hours with to see how he redeemed himself.

And therein lies the problem with 80% of the scripts I read. After about five pages I just don’t like the main character. Yes, you need to give your hero a place to go. He (or she) needs to grow/change/maybe improve as a result of the journey they go on through the course of the story. But they don’t have to be whiny, bitchy, completely unlikable people! You want the reader and eventually a viewing audience to be drawn into their story despite their flaws and foibles, not be repelled by their basic nature.

Usually the problem is that it’s impossible to understand what the character wants and what’s in their way. If you only knew that, you might excuse the whiny, bitchy behavior. In “Iron Man” you know that deep down Tony wants to be the kind of man everyone thinks his father was but is conflicted. Was dad that good? After all, he made millions selling death and destruction and no matter how you rationalize it that’s still got to be confusing. So rather than deal with it he hides behind his own outlandish behavior. Complex, but no so overly complicated you can’t figure it out. And RELATABLE. No, most of us aren’t billionaire weapons dealers but we do have deep conflicts about who we are, what’s our purpose in life, etc. This is so not going to go over well with the artsy fartsy crowd but I think they movie makers – whether it was the writers, director or actor – did a fantastic job making a comic book hero into a real, flesh and blood man.

Whether you agree or not, think about it the next time you start a script and make the lead character a) stupid b) mean as a snake or c) a combination of a & b all in the name of giving your character some place to go. Take a step back, make them human first, and then work out the arc.

MAKE YOUR FIRST TEN PAGES COUNT

2008-06-16T18:07:00.000-07:00

Whether you’re entering a contest or you’ve gotten some overworked, underpaid executive somewhere to read your script, the fact of the matter is you’ve got just ten pages to get their attention. If they aren’t drawn into the story by then, they either won’t read the rest at all or will breeze through it just to get to the last ten pages so they can pretend to know what happened in the end. Think about it – can you blame them? Any executive will tell you it’s not just about what’s good but what they can sell. Sorry folks, it’s the entertainment business, not the entertainment arts. Save the artsy fartsy stuff for your second script and stick to good basic storytelling for your first script sale.

Make sure that your first ten pages accomplish three major goals in an interesting and concise way. They need to establish the tone/genre of the script, the time and place of the story takes, and who the lead character is if not his or her goal.

The very first words on the page should set the tone of the entire script. Is it a comedy? Is it a drama? A thriller? Make it clear to the reader ASAP. Nothing is worse than reading a script and not being sure if you’re supposed to be laughing or crying at a story point. The more time it takes for the reader to figure out just what sort of animal this script is, the more time he or she will spend removed from the script and therefore not engaged with your characters or storyline.

COMMON MISTAKE #1: You don’t want to stand outside the script with the reader looking in. Saying things like, “we hear the pounding of a heartbeat, the woman is terrified,” may set it up as a thriller but it also keeps the reader at arm’s length. “We” don’t hear anything; the description could read something like, “Jolene’s heart pounds in her chest, her eyes dart everywhere, looking for an escape.” You’d get the same idea – this is a thriller – and yet be drawn into the story rather than solidly set outside of it.

You also need to establish the time and place that the story takes place. Sure you could just super, “Virginia, 1863”. However, if instead your description was something like, “An angry crowd gathers while an effigy of President Lincoln is burned in the small town square,” you establish the same general feel for time and place without being boring or stiff. If your next sentence is something like, “The sheriff nervously reached for his phaser, ready to stun the crowd at the first sign of trouble,” you’ve added another level of intrigue. You’ve set up the time, place and tone as being completely unexpected. The story could be futuristic, it could be about an alternate reality, the audience isn’t sure but hopefully they’ll be intrigued enough to read on. That’s your job in a nutshell; set up the time, place and genre in a way that the reader MUST keep reading.

COMMON MISTAKE #2: Don’t over describe the situation with mundane details that have no direct bearing on the story. I don’t need to know what color the character’s parka is, I just need to know that it’s cold. Remember also that this is a script, not a book, so dialog is king. The sooner you get to characters making some comment on their surroundings, time, place and/or current ordeal the better.

Finally, you need to set up the main character in the first ten pages. It could be like the classic movie, “Casablanca” where we hear a lot about Rick before meeting him. Or like the film version of “Lord of the Rings” where we hear a lot of back-story directly related to the main characters’ quest before we meet them. Or possibly like “Gladiator,” where we meet the character straight away and immediately know what he wants – to be with his family. The only thing we don’t know is that he’ll accomplish this goal in a non-traditional way – by joining them in Paradise. However you choose to do it, make it organic to the story and INTERESTING. You could, for instance, just say something like, “Hank pulls his ship into the Nabu spaceport, stirring up unrest in his Tyrolean crew.” Unfortunately, since most of your readers will never have been to Nabu or Tyro, the reference will be lost on them. It’s boring and disengaging.

What if instead you wrote something like, “Hank edges his beater of ship past the luxury liners around the restricted Nabu spaceport, dwarfed both in size and class. Fred, his first mate, leans down. “I hope you know what you’re doing.” Has he turned pale? Hank could never read his friend even after all these years, the striking blue Tyrolean skin that all of his crew shares make them too hard to read especially at a time like this.” Granted, it takes a little longer but, lame example that it might be, still draws us into the story faster than the previous option.

COMMON MISTAKE #3: Don’t ever assume that the reader has as much interest or knowledge of your lead character as you. For instance, I once read a script where much of the opening pages where written in Celtic. Hey, I love Ireland as much as the next guy but I’m not slogging through old Celtic to read a script. Why? Because it’s off-putting and I know it’s unlikely I’ll be able to sell it up the ladder. Yes, I’m sure someone out there reading this will know of an exception to the rule but do you want to count on being the million to one exception or the more traditional rule? By the way, the rest of the script may have been written in Celtic as well, I never went past page 10.

You don’t have to formulaically spell out whose story this is, what they want and what’s in their way if you don’t want to. For instance, in the original “Raiders of the Lost Ark” you got to know Indy first, warts and all, before you found out the story that drives the movie. It worked in that case because the character was so appealing that you were too hooked to stop watching. You can hold surprises until later, make the audience THINK they know what the script is about only to spin it around 180 degrees down the road but they have to at least think they know what the script is about to keep reading. Mystery is one thing; complete and baffling confusion is something else.

Use the first ten pages to set the stage for the story and characters, and then end it with something exciting or intriguing enough to change the course of the story or character and pull us along with it. Otherwise, all your beautiful prose that you labored over in the middle of the script will be lost to the ethos, never read or appreciated by anyone who doesn’t have a direct connection to you the writer.

Interview with Writer Benjamin Ray

2008-06-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

This interview with writer Benjamin Ray is the first of what (hopefully) will be a monthly feature. The point isn’t to sell you on how great my services are, although Benjamin’s kind words are greatly appreciated. The driving force behind the interviews and the ReelWriter blog in general is to foster practical information and advice on how to be a writer in Hollywood without losing your soul. Or your mind.

Newbies, experience writers who have hit a wall or just folks who love to hear great underdog stories will find something to appreciate in these monthly tales of how writers just like you are putting their talent to work telling stories that mean something to them even when they aren’t getting paid the big bucks. Yet.

Benjamin sent me his script, “Marcus and Faith” a while back for coverage and I was thrilled to hear that since then, it has racked up some impressive awards. Here’s his story...

MW: HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN ENTERTAINMENT?

After I graduated from University of Toronto, I realized I made the greatest mistake of my life. No wonder my friends told me I was lost.

Ever since I could remember, I always had an interest in stand-up comedy. I tried it, got off to decent start but soon I was finding it hard to behave like a LIGHT SWITCH – you know -- jump on stage and you have to be ON -- happy, happy, happy. Listen, I don’t mind being happy, just I’m happy being unhappy, sometimes. It’s too exhausting to fake this happiness thing. Well maybe I could fake it real good if I did drugs which are fashionable in the comedy business. But I knew if I chose that path I would be dead in the gutter. Screenwriting came to rescue.

MW: DO YOU LIVE IN LA?
I live in Toronto. It has been proven; you don’t have to live in Los Angeles to make it in this business. If you have a solid business plan for unexpected expenditures, then taking that risk is possible. When the time is right I will be in LA.

MW: WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING WHEN YOU AREN’T WRITING?

I’m a business plan writer and tax preparer. I had to pick a job. One that keeps me stressed out, which a good thing, sometimes.

MW: WHAT AWARDS/RECOGNITION HAS “MARCUS & FAITH” GARNERED?

Semi-finalist with 20/20, Quarterfinalists with -- Fade in Magazine, Writers Network, Script Shark, All Access Screenplay Competition. And of course -- winner (finalist) with Pacific Northwest Screenwriting Contest whose Judge Daniel Yost -- co- screenwriter for Drugstore Cowboy – starring Matt Dillon

MW: HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK IT IS FOR A WRITER TO ENTER CONTESTS? WHAT’S THE MOST VALUABLE THING YOU GET OUT OF THEM?

If you want to stay in this game – enter selective contests, at least 4 per year. Stick only with contests with proven judges/filmmakers/producers. Look, study and research their current and past winner list and identify similarities. Find what kind of scripts the contest gate-keepers like. This is a business with no rules. Some contest providers push only the genre and style they like. I really don’t want to sound discourteous – some Contests don’t think like producers or studio heads. Grab the bull by the horn and ask tons of questions. And stay away from writers who open up screenwriting contests. I want to grow as a writer and as to understand the business of Hollywood, not just to write. So I have to be selective. Also, some Screenwriting Contests think they have a monopoly on cinematic vision when in reality they are not trained in the business world where the producers are the Kings, the Queens and the Jokers.

MW: WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO GET YOUR SCRIPT COVERED?

Needed to find out if Hollywood would appreciate my style of screenwriting. I write on a “cinematic visualization style”. You know the camera films most of it, so I must write scripts, not novels. Fore-mostly, I wanted to know if I was writing a lean mean “blueprint” or just building a damn estate for some trophy wife while sleeping with the interior designer. If you know what I mean.

MW:A LOT OF WRITERS HAVE A HARD TIME LETTING GO FOR THE FIRST TIME AND HAVING AN OUTSIDER TAKE A LOOK. WHEN DID YOU KNOW IT WAS TIME? WAS IT A TOUGH CHOICE?

It wasn’t a tough choice; I knew I could write a cinematic script. Got coverage from Scriptapalooza. The guy slaughtered me but he did like my Act 1 and went on saying that it grabbed him by the throat and it was well written. The day you become fearless of coverage is the day you realize that only parts of your script are good. Only parts!!! There is no such thing as a perfect script and those that praise you writing 100%, are wasting your time. And those who give scripts high marks are also wasting your time.

Trust me, after a while, mean-spirited coverage does not affect me anymore. Okay I lied, maybe for 2 whole minutes, then their notes go in the garbage and I will delete you from my hard-drive. So far the only fair coverage I got was from you at www.thescriptfixer.com.

MW: HOW DO YOU THINK COVERAGE HELPED YOUR SCRIPT?
I had 5 professional coverages for “Marcus and Faith”. Most of them were trying to shove their genre and their cinematic likings down my throat. One coverage provider told I should learn to write like Shane Black and went on to say that I should make it into a drama instead of a thriller.

Your coverage gave me confidence to pitch it live. Your logline and coverage of the script’s theme was motivating and respectful to my prerogatives. You told me the good, the bad and the ugly in a professional way.

MW: HAS IT HELPED YOU PREP TO TAKE IT OUT AND TRY TO SELL IT?

Of course, your positive coverage gave me confidence to accelerate my marketing plan. If a coverage provider is negative, demand a refund. Negativism is a natural force and it can slow down your progress if you don’t have the experience to fight back.

You are truly a leader in this business.

MW: YOU MENTIONED BEING SELF-TAUGHT – WHAT BOOKS DO YOU RECOMMEND FOR OTHER WRITERS STARTING OUT?

I read some screenwriting books by not taking them seriously while have my ADD moments. I always believed that screenwriting cannot be taught. I did not and will not attend film-school. Every time I read a book on screenwriting, I lose my motivation and get temporary writer’s a block. It’s not for me.

I learned to write screenplays by watching ICONIC movies and taking notes.

And I also learned for reading one exceptional book which changed my life forever. It’s written by Phil Gladwin at www.screenwritinggoldmine. It’s the most truthful book out there on this business.

Also, I learned from reading biographies of ICONIC film directors. Read how writer/ director Francis Ford Coppola mortgaged his house to make a movie. Or how a director wanted to kill the producer if they changed one word in his script. Read their scripts, it’s the most economical piece of art. That’s screenwriting! They believed in their story-telling instinct.

It’s good to consult, but only with those who know what they’re talking about.

Consult with people that actually made movies. If you believe in you story, stick to your guns and make it happen. Work with people that can inexpensively test a scene on a cinematic level with Cinematographer. Consult with people who have worked with an editor or involved with mixing of music to some scenes. I don’t think there is a book out there that analyzes screenwriting from a director-/screenwriter angle. I learned by “method writing”. If you’re going to write about a boxer or a dancer or teacher – think like a director – they will tell you -- go out there and live in their shoes – then thank them for that experience.

MW: HOW DO YOU THINK LEARNING ON YOUR OWN HAS MADE YOUR WRITING DIFFERENT FROM SOMEONE WHO WENT TO FILM SCHOOL?

I would like to answer this question without insulting anyone. Here it goes -- I enjoy visualizing all the scenes in my scripts. We are servants of our imagination. The mind does not have a map and cannot be tamed. Film school is not for me. . Don’t get upset if one day you’re 88 years old and haven’t sold a script or made a movie. Do what you want to do, listen to only a few trust-worthy consultants. There is no formula or strategies. Sorry, film-school does not work for me. I get so upset when people tell me to go to film-school. If they have film-school, why don’t have music-school – and we all can go there learn how to be the next Mick Jagger or Amy Winehouse or Eminem . You see what I mean.

MW: HOW DID YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A STAND UP COMIC INFLUENCE YOUR WRITING IN GENERAL?

Jokes or dialogues, same thing – edit, edit over and over and over and then test it out in front of the mirror or with a microphone. Tape and listen.

MW: DO YOU MISS THE INSTANT FEEDBACK OF A LIVE AUDIENCE VS. THE AGONIZING WAIT FOR WORD BACK ON A SCRIPT?

I don’t miss it. I use the internet, forums and blogs and unexpected office staffs for instant feedback.

MW: HOW IMPORTANT IS FEEDBACK, BOTH GOOD AND BAD, TO YOUR SELF-EDUCATION PROCESS?

Stick to your guns, feedbacks can be wishy-washy. Again, just find one or two coverage providers who will honest with you and treat you with respect.

MW: WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE WAY FOR YOU TO WRITE? FOR INSTANCE, DO YOU HAVE A SET SCHEDULE? DO YOU WRITE 20 PAGES A DAY, WRITE FROM MIDNIGHT TO 3AM, JOT DOWN THOUGHTS WHILE YOU’RE IN YOUR CAR, ETC.

I change my writing environment every time – Subway, buses, accidental long distance travel, office space, hopping from one library to another or in the middle of a breakup with psychos and angels. I don’t think about the routine of writing, I just make it fit in my circle of life.

MW: HOW MANY SCRIPTS DID YOU START BEFORE YOU FINISHED YOUR FIRST?

Marcus and Faith is my second. My first script was “Sin So Well” – it’s a B movie/script thing with lots of action and R-rated jokes. Actually some of the coverages found the jokes offensive. They’re probably the same people who found BORAT offensive.

MW: WHAT WAS IT ABOUT MARCUS AND FAITH AS CHARACTERS THAT COMPELLED YOU TO WRITE THEIR STORY?

Marcus and Faith had a controversial lifestyle and aspirations. Most artists come from a dysfunctional background. Some can’t adapt and give up in life by becoming self-destructive. I wanted to show that Marcus and Faith are survivors not matter how bad their childhood was. Whatever happened, we cannot blame our parents, teachers, bosses for the stress and pain we have in this life. We have to take control. Marcus and Faith found each other and they helped each other survive.

MW: WHAT ABOUT THEM DO YOU THINK WILL MAKE THEM, AS YOU EXPLAINED TO ME, “LIVE IN THE HEARTS OF YOUNG ADULTS AND TRANSFER FROM GENERATIONS TO GENERATIONS”?

I did a survey, when the movie Saturday Night Fever came, out – a specific crowd was able to identify with Tony Manero. Young adults with their problems with careers, unsupportive parents, sex-in-the –city syndrome and dead-beat friends.

Young adults love a lifestyle where they can piggyback vicariously on the entertainment culture. They temporary think that they will achieve stardom in anything they do and their future will be cozy and comfortable. But they fail to realize that this chase is a dangerous game and we have to tread carefully. It’s possible, no to drown….Marcus and Faith helped each other.

MW: YOU’VE SAID THAT FOR A “STORY TO FLOURISH IN OUR MODERN TIMES AND TOUCH OUR HEARTS, IT MUST BE DARINGLY DIFFERENT AND DARK.” DARINGLY DIFFERENT I GET BUT WHY DARK?

It has to be dark in some parts, in order to justify the happy ending. For a movie to play the immortality game, it has to be dark.

MW: THE SEX CLUB, KAMA-SIN, IS INCREDIBLY VIOLENT. DO YOU THINK THAT’S A COMMON EXPERIENCE FOR AUDIENCES OUT THERE? A TYPICAL FANTASY?

Mel Gibson was very vivid with Apocalypto and The Passion of Christ.

The Kama-Sin is my forecast of the danger that awaits society if we don’t put end to this addiction people have to sex vices. I’m just showing what happens when men get bored with certain things and they CAN’T GET SATISFACTION – until they find a temporary fix – the birth KAMA SIN, for example. In certain business culture – the rich and famous really like to experiment on this level.

MW: IF YOU COULD PICK FIVE WRITERS (ALIVE OR DEAD) TO BE IN A WRITING GROUP WITH YOU, WHO WOULD YOU PICK?

1. Frank Miller
2. Guy Ritchie
3. Robert Rodriguez
4. David Cronenberg
5. Spike Lee

MW: WHERE DO YOU GO FROM HERE WITH “MARCUS AND FAITH”??

I ‘m getting ready to market “Dance Desire Violence” – a dramatic thriller which takes place in 1977 New York. It’s about a college dropout, dirty dancing, schizophrenia and a crime boss and his promiscuous wife.

Also putting the polishing touch on “Don’t Hit My Mommy” – -- takes place in modern New York about a retired boxer/father, HIV, AIDS and an illegal escort business.

Lastly -- marketing a sit-com version of a tamer version of “Marcus and Faith”.

Email me for full synopsis of any of the above.

I believe in these scripts. New projects are always happening

NOBODY WANTS TO READ YOUR SCRIPT

2008-06-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

Here’s a big Hollywood news flash: nobody wants to read your script. Industry pros like producers, agents and even top level readers are going to actively look for reasons to not read your script. Does that mean you should give up? NO! But it does mean you need to do your job and take away all reasons for them to reject your work at first glance.

“But I’m an artiste,” you say, “I can’t be bothered with all those mundane details!” Then have fun living in that garret for the rest of your life where the only people to ever see your stories are your friends and even they cringe at reading your epic one more time. Never forget that this is Hollywood and appearance is everything. Is it wrong that the way your script looks can affect whether it’s made or not? Maybe, but the development executives who sort through hundreds of scripts a week looking for the next sellable script are the most under appreciated, overworked folks in the business. The same goes for readers. They just don’t have the time to see the diamond in the rough and even if they did, they know they won’t be able to sell it up the ladder to their bosses. And make no mistake, scripts are commodities to be sold, not pieces of art to be put on a wall and admired. That’s the reality. This is the entertainment BUSINESS after all.

This goes double for entering your script into contests. If you aren’t going to make sure that your script is as professionally written as it can be then I suggest you hand the entry fee to the guy at the freeway on ramp with the cardboard house. You’ll gain more in karma points then you have any hope of benefiting from the contest.

You can’t control whether you’re the next Diablo Cody or not but you can eliminate some really simple reasons for your script to automatically go to the slush pile, domain of the intern and underpaid assistants.

Do not put pictures on your title page. Nothing says, “this script sucks” like a photo, painting or drawing on the title page. In all the years I’ve been doing this only once did a picture on the title page work and that was for a campy horror script about a giant prehistoric crocodile. The writer put a close up of - you guessed it – a crocodile head with a yellowed out eye and all. It was ridiculous and silly but absolutely matched the tone of the script. But even then it was only because a friend gave it to me an assured me it was worth the read. Don’t take that kind of chance, just stick with the title, your name and, for the love of God, your contact info.
Use 2 heavy-duty brads to bind your script. That’s it, nothing fancy. Spirals, metal clips and cheap flimsy brads tend to fall apart, catch on clothing and all around make the reader cranky. The cardinal rule of getting your script read is thou shall not annoy your reader.
Here’s another hot tip – the fact that spell check doesn’t catch everything is no excuse for you not to. About the third time the wrong “your” is used, you’re screwed. Proofread your script the old-fashioned way, one page at a time. If you’re lousy at it then get a friend to do it. Better yet, get two; two sets of eyes are better than one. Yes, it’s a small detail but one that says so much about you. If you aren’t careful enough to catch typos then why should I trust you to be careful enough to seed in great subtext or character arcs?
Keep your script between 100 – 115 pages. Roughly speaking, one script page is equal to a minute of screen time. Even more if it’s chock full of action. (The phrase “and then they fight” takes very little space but about fifteen minutes of movie.) If it’s longer than that, unless you happen to be Peter Jackson you need to go back and edit. You’ll be surprised how much better your script is anyway without the extraneous scenes you thought you couldn’t live without. And by the way, you aren’t fooling anyone when you jimmy with the margins; people who read scripts for a living know just by looking at it that you’ve played around with them. Chances are they’ll disregard the script and you as not only a hack but also a cheater without getting past page 1.
Writers write, directors direct: Leave out all direction unless it’s absolutely vital to telling your story. Putting in the description “CU of John’s eyes are he weeps” isn’t vital to the story, it’s directing and a sign of an amateur, not to mention annoying to a potential director and you’re going to need them to get your movie made. Getting the script made into a movie is the goal so check your ego at the door.
Formatting: Absolutely, positively have your script properly formatted with the correct margins. Every script-writing program will do it automatically but if you don’t have one of those, most screenwriting books will tell you the proper format. This format is not meant to squash your artistic whim; it’s there partially to help the director, producer and artists who will hopefully make it into a movie. Part of formatting is using Courier 12 pt., the current industry standard font. Writing in another font doesn’t say, “I have a unique voice, read me.” It mostly says, “I think I’m too special for the rules and will probably be a pain in the ass to work with.”
More formatting tips: Beyond the proper margins, there are common practices that professionals follow that make a script easier to read and are sure signs of an experienced writer. DO NOT WRITE EVERYTHING IN CAPITALS. IT FEELS LIKE THE SCRIPT IS YELLING AT YOU AND IS VERY ANNOYING. Remember your cardinal rule – do not annoy your reader. Aside from sluglines, the only time you use capitals is denoting the first time a character is introduced. As a reader, it helps you keep track of characters. If you capitalize them every time, we may not be sure if we’ve met them a few scenes ago or if this is the first time. Sometime readers have to put a script down and pick it up a day later so don’t make it any harder by confusing them about characters, locations or dayparts.
Let the actors act: Parentheticals are one of the most over used writing devices around. You don’t to put (annoyed) (sad) (tenderly) with dialog to let the actor know how to deliver the lines. Hopefully your work will speak for itself. There are exceptions but if a scene is truly well written and a character well established, those times are few and far between.
Remember your Schoolhouse Rock: Avoid common grammatical errors, especially gerunds. For instance, “John runs” instead of “John is running.” It’s minor but the continued use of the passive voice weakens your story. Always make sure your write your script in the present tense. If grammar isn’t your strong suit, then have a friend or a professional proofreader go over it.
It’s a script, not a novel: Nothing makes a reader groan more than opening a script and seeing the entire first page is all description. There’s no point in going into such details as “John, a fan of the band Air Supply since the 1980’s, took his Border Collie out for a walk down his magnolia lined street, thinking to himself that he should get a haircut.” The viewing audience will never know any of this so why should the reader have to suffer through it all? Put in only the visual details that are important and break it up with dialog. It’s easier to read and shows you know how to write drama as well as description.

Remember, no one in Hollywood ever lost their job for saying “no.” You owe it to yourself and your script to make them at least work for the “no” rather than passing on your script with barely a glance.